The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board in Kano State is now holding the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations, which 92 visually impaired applicants took.
Shortly after seeing the practice on Monday, Prof. Muhammad Yahuza-Bello, the JAMB Coordinator for the Kano center, revealed this to reporters.
According to NAN, the test was administered to special needs candidates under the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group at Bayero University Kano’s School of Continuing Education.
The 92 candidates were selected from the states of Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Zamfara, and Kaduna, according to Yahuza-Bello, a former BUK vice chancellor.
“Two of the 92 candidates have autism, and two have Down syndrome,” he stated.
NAN reports that the candidates, comprising males and females, received various gadgets such as typewriters, braille machines, slates, styluses, paper, among others.
NAN also reports that trained personnel and invigilators were deployed to provide amanuensis services for candidates who required assistance to ease the examination process.
He said that over 500 candidates with special needs, such as visual impairment, albinism, Down syndrome, autism, and other conditions, registered to write the examination in 11 centres across the country.
“This initiative was introduced by the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, in 2017 to give equal educational opportunities to all, regardless of disability.
At CBT centres, the examination is displayed on computer screens and candidates choose options, but many of our candidates cannot read from screens or use keyboards,” he said.Since its launch in 2017, JEOG has seen success, with an increasing number of candidates with special needs gaining admission into various tertiary institutions across the nation. “Only about 25 per cent of regular candidates gained admission into tertiary institutions, while over 33 per cent of special needs candidates secured admission,” he said. “Our goal is to eliminate barriers to education, and the initiative builds upon JAMB’s ongoing reforms aimed at inclusivity, including the use of adaptive examination materials to meet diverse needs.”
He praised the BUK Department of Special Needs, the School of Continuing Education, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Sagir Adamu Abbas, and other organizations for admitting these applicants.
“As per usual, JAMB has given all candidates free lodging, food, and a token for transportation during the exam period through JEOG,” he continued.
Khadija, a previous Kano center candidate who achieved a UTME score of over 240 and is currently a final-year student at BUK pursuing a BSc in Dietetics and Nutrition, was introduced by the coordinator.
Khadija praised the action and gave the candidates words of wisdom and support.
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